


Dancing With Your Ghost

by bisexualdisastervibes



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:07:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29457993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bisexualdisastervibes/pseuds/bisexualdisastervibes
Summary: Katara feels pure grief after Aang's death. She's reminded that even in death, love ties people together through a dance. After death, she is reunited with Aang and gets the dance she's owed.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Bumi II & Kya II & Tenzin (Avatar), Hakoda & Katara & Kya & Sokka (Avatar), Hakoda & Katara (Avatar), Hakoda & Kya (Avatar), Katara & Kya II (Avatar), Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Katara & Yue (Avatar)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	Dancing With Your Ghost

**Author's Note:**

> I fully blame Dancing With Your Ghost by Sasha Sloan for this fic, hence the title. I got the idea of Katara singing it after Aang's death and couldn't get it out of my head. Enjoy the angst train <3

The snow came down in soft white flakes, hitting her skin and evaporating. Katara couldn’t feel the cold water on her skin due to the thick layer of furs she had on. Even without her furs, she’s pretty sure she couldn’t feel anything anyway. Ever since Aang had died, all she felt was an all consuming numbness.

She looked up at the moon, staring at the silver celestial body. She remembered all Yue had done for them, for _her._ Yue had given her brother hope and love, helping him become a better person. She had not only saved Aang when the Fire Nation attacked her tribe, but saved him from the brink of death. It was with her guidance and soft encouragement that let Aang avoid Koh and connect with his past lives. She was the one who enlarged the waves that carried him safely to Roku’s island once he had learned about the state of the world.

She looked up at Yue, feeling a sense of sadness come over her. _I owe so much to you. You saved two of the men most important to me but it wasn’t enough. They’re gone now._

She sat down in the snow, letting the cold water soak her clothes. She could bend it out of her clothes if it bothered her, but for now she just wanted to feel something other than numbness, and if it was cold, so be it. 

She let out a sigh, watching her breath fog up in the cold air. The wind whipped across the frigid landscape, pushing her hood off of her face. She looked to Kya’s hut, noting the glowing window with a frown.

Kya had dropped everything to make sure she was okay. Katara appreciated it, but she felt like she was ruining her daughter’s life. Kya had always craved freedom and adventure, now she was stuck babysitting her mother. 

She walked inside, knowing she risked pneumonia if she stayed out much longer. She couldn’t feel how cold her body was and she wanted to make things easier for Kya. If she got pneumonia by moping in the snow, she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself for making things harder on Kya.

Katara lit the fire and watched the dancing flames. She remembered Aang making them a large fire after Sokka died. He didn’t say much, knowing she was broken. He just brought her some tea and a blanket, holding her in his arms as she watched the flames. Now, it was just her sitting alone with a blanket watching the flames dance.

She had cried when he died. She wasn’t able to stop crying for hours afterwards. As soon as she was able to stop, she hadn’t been able to cry since. She was _breaking_ but she couldn’t make herself cry. Ironic, the master waterbender unable to produce even a single tear. 

Katara forced herself to stand and eat, barely tasting the stew. She could have been eating ashes and wouldn’t know the difference. Katara had survived so much, she refused to break. She had been through too much to break now. 

Katara turned on the radio, tears coming to her eyes for the first time in days. The radio was softly playing the song she and Aang had danced to at their wedding. 

_She remembered adorning her wedding clothes, feeling love rise within her at each layer of clothing she added. Suki helped her apply her makeup, talking about how beautiful she looked. Toph sat in a chair nearby, talking about how she would be so disgusted at the feelings shown today, but everyone knew she didn’t actually mind._

_She finally married her other half, feeling their souls merge into one as they softly kissed. Her father shook his hand, welcoming him to the family. Sokka grabbed Aang and forced him into a noogie, excitedly screaming that he finally had a little brother._

_Aang linked his arm through hers and the two shared a dance full of love. They spun in circles, dancing like they had in that one Fire Nation cave. They shared a soft kiss and hug after the dance was over, softly swaying to the end notes of the song._

Tears freely flowed down her face now. She had lost her mother, her father, and her brother. She lost her husband, the father of her children, and her true love. Even with her children, she still felt alone. Katara was the last one but _fuck_ Sokka should be here with her. She shouldn’t be alone for so long, she _needed_ Aang. 

Katara felt a hand on her shoulder and sobbed freely now. She’d recognize that hand and comforting presence anywhere, it was what had gotten her through bearing three children, countless nightmares, and hours spent crying. She freely sobbed as she felt Aang’s spirit hold her and gently sway with her in the kitchen as their song played on the radio.

Katara wrapped her arms around her husband. “I know you’re gone, but you’ve never left me. I’ll be with you one day my love,” she said, smiling at the feeling of his head on hers. The feeling of his body faded away, but she now felt his comforting presence that had never left her. She and Aang had made a promise to never leave each other, a promise that couldn’t be broken even in death.

* * *

Years later, Katara coughed as she laid on her bed. She knew her time was coming to an end, but she wasn’t sad. Katara had a larger family than she could have thought of before. She had three wonderful kids, four grandchildren, and a nice extended family that even included Korra and her friends. 

She smiled at her children who sat at her bed, tightly gripping her arm as they tried to hold back tears. “I won’t be gone,” Katara said quietly. “Even in death, I won’t leave you. Love is something not even death can stop.”

“We’ll miss you,” Kya said tearfully. “I love you Mom, please stay.”

She coughed. “I would if I could. It’s nearing my time to go. I love you my dear koi fish. You’ve become such a wonderful woman,” she said, squeezing Kya’s hand.

“My little wolf,” she said, now squeezing Bumi’s hand. “You’ve grown into a fine man. You’ve made me and your father proud, even before airbending. I love you my little wolf.”

“Firefly,” she wheezed, Tenzin gently lacing his fingers through hers. “You’ve done so much. Your father would be proud to see what you’ve done today, I can feel it. You’ve become a wonderful mentor and father. I love you firefly.”

She smiled at her children, feeling her heartbeat weaken. “I love you all so much. Even if you can’t see me, know that I’m always with you,” she said, taking in her last breath. She closed her eyes, peacefully slipping into the Spirit World.

She opened her eyes to see Sokka charging at her. “I missed you even if you were a pain in the ass,” he said, wrapping her in a hug.

She let out a tearful laugh, squeezing her brother tighter. “I missed you too, you dumb jerk.”

He let go of her, keeping a hand on her shoulder as she embraced both of her parents for the first time in decades. “Mom, I missed you,” she said, feeling intense joy and sorrow wash over her.

Kya placed a hand on her face. “I missed you too,” she said, Katara leaning her head into the touch. 

“We won’t be separated again,” Hakoda said, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. 

She smiled, feeling tears of joy come to her eyes. “I love you, but I have someone else to see.”

“Go see him. He’s been waiting for you,” Sokka said.

Katara nodded and followed her gut, guiding her to him. She pushed aside a spirit vine to see Aang holding a bouquet of fire lilies for her.

“I told you I’d be with you one day,” she said as he handed her the flowers.

“I missed you,” Aang said softly, bringing her into a tight hug. “I believe I owe you a dance for that one night.”

She smiled at him. “I wouldn’t argue against that,” she said, heart swelling as he turned on a radio to play their song.

She leaned against his chest, hearing his reassuring heartbeat in her ears as they swayed to the music together silently, just soaking in each other’s presence. He pressed a soft kiss to her lips, smiling as she kissed him back. They smiled as they swayed together, knowing they had all of the time in the world now. They wouldn’t be separated again, two halves aching to be whole. Their spirits were finally reunited at last, intertwining so deeply they couldn’t tell where one began and the other ended. 

**Author's Note:**

> Katara definitely had cute little animal nicknames for all of her kids, I will die on this hill. I hoped y'all enjoyed :D


End file.
